European organisations

The ‘European organisations’ ePublication documents the major international organisations involved in European integration that have been established in Western Europe since the end of the Second World War: the European Communities in the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe, Western European Union (WEU) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The aim is to provide accurate information for research and education purposes that gives an insight into the major milestones in the development of the European organisations. The subjects covered are accompanied by introductory texts and illustrated by a wide range of documents from a variety of sources.

Each European organisation is presented in the same way, with a basic framework containing key reference documents complemented by an analysis of the organisation’s origins and development, composition, organisation and operation, activities and seat. The sole exception is the European Union, which, by its very nature, requires a specific approach.

The publication dedicated to the ‘European organisations’ is currently being restructured and it is not updated, except for the section on the European Union, which is progressively amended to take into account the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty (work in progress).